New arrangments of Standards for Keyboards (acoustic piano and synthesizer), including Over the Rainbow, Deep Purple, Emily, etc.

12 MP3 Songs
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Details:
Iâll be Seeing You, by Christopher Whalen

These unusual, lush keyboard arrangements of some of the great Standards of the 1940's and 1950's faithfully present the beautiful and familiar melodies of the original recordings, while setting them in new tonal contexts.

Most of the tracks here were recorded as straight piano solos on my Steinway D, though four were made with the Yamaha S90 synthesizer. It is my hope that my friends will enjoy these new demo versions of some great old songs. (Just keep in mind that these arenât studio produced).

Creating the arrangements was itself interesting. Some of them required many hours of tweaking and re-writing, while others came rather quickly, often in the wee small hours of the morning, or during those foggy moments just before drifting off to sleep. In some cases the tonal centers (keys) seemed self evident, but generally I chose various keys almost at random, in order to make greater use of the resources of the keyboards.

1. Over the Rainbow When the International Film Institute named this the number one film song of all time, I was inspired to try my hand at it. Judy Garland, of course, immortalized it in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Written by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg, this arrangement is by C.T. Whalen (performed here on the Steinway D as with every track but 4, 7, 9 & 10).

2. Pennies from Heaven This song was first performed by Bing Crosby in the movie with the same title. The filmâs other name star was none other than Louis Armstrong. Crosby and lyricist John Burke (âSwinging on a Starâ) were close associates. This version was roughly based on a choral arrangement written for my group at Mt. Miguel H. S. in San Diego (1982).

3. Deep Purple This recording uses Peter De Roseâs original 1934 piano arrangement, no doubt inspired by Gershwinâs Rhapsody in Blue. In 1939 Mitchell Parish added lyrics and Larry Clintonâs recording made a star of his vocalist Bea Wain. The song became such a favorite of Babe Ruth that on each of his birthdays, De Rose personally played and sang it for him.

4. A Foggy Day Sadly, I was working on this song and âIâll be Seeing Youâ when our fascinating cat became very ill. I canât bring myself to dedicate a song to a cat, but nevertheless when I hear this song now I think of him. Music by George Gershwin; lyrics by Ira Gershwin. This classic, dating from 1937, is here rendered in a kind of fusion jazz style, with synthesized guitars, strings, and soprano saxophone. This arrangement by CT Whalen on the Yamaha S90 Synthesizer. (Remembering Smokey)

5. Smile âSmileâ was featured in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film, Modern Times. Music by Chaplin; Lyrics by J. Turner and G. Parson. This piano arrangement by CT Whalen. The recording came together in one long take.

6. The Apartment This dynamic melody provided the soundtrack for the hit 1949 film of the same name, starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine.
Written and arranged by Charles Williams, this piano solo pretty much captures the pathos of the film. This is Williamsâ original arrangement.

7. It Might as Well be Spring This 1945 Rodgersâ and Hammerstein tune appeared in the hit film, State Fair. This arrangement by CT Whalen was recorded with the Yamaha S90 Synthesizer and MusicTime Deluxe. Here the main theme is in 5/4 (a la Dave Brubeck) rather than 4/4 meter.

8. The Very Thought of You This is one of the dreamiest love ballades of all time. This arrangement came to me rather quickly in November 2005. The shortest of my arrangements, it was recorded in just one take.

9. In the Wee Small Hours I decided in August 2005 to include this wonderful ballad, but it wasnât until late one night in December that the setting came to me suddenly while sitting at the synthesizer. Believe it or not, it was 3:30 AM. The original music for this 1955 ballade was composed by David Mann, the lyrics by Bob Hilliard. This new arrangement, by C.T. Whalen, was recorded using the Yamaha S90 Synthesizer.

10. My Funny Valentine Music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by the incomparable Lorenz Hart, this popular standard was first published in 1937. This arrangement, my first effort with the Yamaha S90 Synthesizer, is somewhat unusual with its Latin rhythms and steady beat.

11. Emily This lovely ballade was written by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It appeared in a 1964 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film called The Americanization of Emily. This arrangement by CT Whalen.

12. Iâll be Seeing You It was the immortal Joe Stafford cut of this song, with its bitter-sweet quality, which inspired me to create a new setting. From the 1938 Broadway Musical Production Right This Way, this headliner song remains a ballade here. The music is by Sammy Fain, the lyrics by Irving Kahal. This arrangement by CT Whalen.